Page:The Garden of Eden (Doughty).djvu/135

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The Flaming Sword.
129

recognize the laws of Providence; and we can grow beneath their invigorating presence. The sun shines upon us and warms and enlightens us none the less, although we may not be able to analyze his substance, and have no knowledge of how his beams are conveyed to us through such immense space. So the Lord loves us all, sees us all, and is present in every least act of our lives, although we cannot, with our finite minds, fully grasp the idea of the possibility of the infinite operations of his providence.

Little as is the universality of the Lord's presence and providence recognized among men, it is one of the most positively announced teachings of Scripture. The Psalmist declares it in the words, "Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there shall thy hand lead me and thy right hand shall hold me" (Ps. vii. 7, 8, 9). Jeremiah proclaims it in the divine interrogation, "Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the Lord. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord" (xxiii. 24). And our Lord, when on earth, reiterated the same truth in the declaration: "Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not

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